Concerns about emergency response arrangements resulted in a 'stop work' notice being issued for refit work on a nuclear powered submarine at Devonport naval dockyard earlier this year, according to a report published by the government's nuclear safety regulator.

The company that builds nuclear reactors which power the Royal Navy's fleet of submarines has been fined £200,000 for breaches of safety and environmental laws following an incident in which members of staff were exposed to radiation.

The company that builds the nuclear reactors which power the Royal Navy's fleet of submarines has pleaded guilty to seven charges of breaching safety and environmental laws after employees were exposed to high levels of radiation at one of the company's factories in Derby.

Rolls-Royce Marine Power Operations Ltd, the company which develops and manufactures reactors for the Royal Navy's fleet of nuclear powered submarines, has appeared before magistrates in Derby facing charges of breaching health and safety and environmental protection legislation.

A power supply failure to submarine berths, leakage from a tap left on in a radioactive waste tank, melting of an ice plug, and a loss of electricity caused when steam valves were mistakenly closed are among a series of unexpected events which have resulted in a string of nuclear incidents and near misses involving Britain's nuclear submarine fleet over the last five years.

The launch of the Navy's latest nuclear powered submarine has been blocked by the government's nuclear safety regulator because of concerns about the structural integrity of a dock quay at the shipyard where the submarine is under construction.